Five Questions for Nicholas Holmes

Nicholas Holmes, MD, MBA, was recently named president of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, which includes campuses in Oakland and San Francisco and 50 satellite locations across Northern California.

We hear you’re a big fan of superheroes and origin stories. What’s yours?   

Yes! I love origin stories. Part of mine begins right here in San Francisco. I was fresh out of medical school when I moved across the country to do my residency in urology in San Diego, followed by a fellowship in pediatric urology at UCSF. It was a pivotal time in my life: I met my husband and I found my calling – pediatrics.

Why pediatrics?

I was so inspired by my time at UCSF. Everyone I encountered had this deep, almost spiritual commitment to children. And the families I worked with put all their trust in me. It felt like an incredible privilege to be in service to them, and I couldn’t imagine anything else I’d rather do.

What are you most excited about?

The new hospital building in Oakland! The UC Regents recently approved constructing a $1.5 billion facility that will open in 2030. It’s going to be transformative for our community. I can’t wait to break ground.

You have served in the U.S. Navy and worked at other children’s hospitals. What brought you back to UCSF?

We deliver some of the highest quality care and have some of the most recognized experts in the world. We have all the elements of a top children’s hospital. We just need to weave those components together to create an integrated, comprehensive system of care. That’s the project that pulled me in.

Top priority for year one? 

As a leader, it’s important to me to get to know this organization and have this organization get to know me. I want people to understand my vision, where I’m coming from, and how I hope to achieve our goals. By my one-year mark, I hope people feel like they know me, can communicate with me, can stop me and say “hi,” and can give me feedback. That’s how I’ve had success – by connecting with people.